Prince Dining Room

Prince Dining Room is the airy second-level restaurant at St Kilda icon The Prince Hotel and a revival of its legendary diner, Circa, which closed early in 2017 after almost 20 years of service.

Executive chef Daniel Cooper, formerly of Circa and Sydney’s Aria, has created a sophisticated menu that leans on seasonal produce and coastal Mediterranean flavours, with many dishes cooked over flame.

Starting options might include freshly shucked oysters with lemon and shallots; beef tartare with a gruyere puff, mozzarella and bottarga; or a yellowfin tuna tartlet. Follow with coal-roasted beetroot, pastas such as tagliatelle spun with smoked fish and a citrus sauce, and Tasmanian lamb rump served with smoked eggplant and tahini.

While full of modern flourishes, the room has curves and arches that speak to the hotel’s art deco history. Enter via a set of earthy marble stairs and be met with bay views and several distinctive dining areas. Options range from small booths stitched around a winding criss-crossing partition wall (for some long-haul business class-esque intimacy) to a more exposed 16-seater table that’s perfect for groups.

Another modern addition to the space is a dedicated cocktail bar, appropriately named The Bar at Prince Dining Room. Led by Ryan Hospitality Group’s beverage manner, Paul Beresford, it’s a place of light, citrusy and aromatic cocktails designed to complement the flavours firing out of the kitchen.